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Specific gravity (G) is a measure of wood density affected by the specific species or species combination of the commercial grade, growth region, and grading rules. It is the single most important lumber property for the strength of mechanical fasteners, such as nails and screws used in...

Last month, I attended a seminar that sparked my interest in the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) in business. The event was held at an arts-focused hotel in Louisville, KY, during a company retreat my wife, an executive at the local hospital, was attending. One of the sessions...

Continuing the discussion from my column last month, “The JobLine in Canada, eh,” I thought it would be worthwhile to look at some of the pluses and minuses of using an outside recruiter. Your company or location may have its own resources to use when filling truss and component...

This article appears in the May 2024 issue of STRUCTURE Magazine as Part 7 of 9. Reprinted with permission. This multi-part series discusses significant structural changes to the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) by the International Code Council (ICC). This article includes an overview...

Sustainable building materials and methods are top-of-mind in today’s construction industry. While there are many sustainable building materials to choose from during design, wood is naturally a superior choice for developers, designers, and builders interested in lowering the...

At Simpson Strong-Tie, we continually look for ways to improve our offerings for the building industry. During one of our periodic product line reviews, we realized there was a void to be filled in our holdown line for residential construction. Over the last decade, we’ve made strides...

Some surprises are in store at the BCMC Show this year, especially the stunning news that the biggest robotics maker won’t be there and won’t be showing up anywhere. But, the demise of House of Design (HoD) wasn’t because of their equipment, which worked serviceably (for more...

My July column, What’s in The Advertiser’s Forum?, reiterates that our monthly issues contain content that our authors and advertisers would like to submit, rather than designating particular topics or themes each month. But that doesn’t stop some themes from appearing! Are...

As automation and robotics are increasingly embraced, it makes sense to review examples of successful implementations from the pioneers of past systems. Interestingly, the first successful fully automated component assembly in the U.S. involved wall panels rather than trusses. However, in many...

Our robust Roller Plant streamlines the assembly of roof trusses – combining technology, precision, and efficiency to produce high quality trusses! Suitable for any roof truss factory, our Roller Plant is powerful, fast, accurate, and simple to operate with production numbers that will...